Definition of “State”

Abstract

A state is a form of political association, and political association is itself only one form of human association. Other associations range from clubs to business enterprises to churches. Human beings relate to one another, however, not only in associations but also in other collective arrangements, such as families, neighborhoods, cities, religions, cultures, societies, and nations. The state is not the only form of political association. Other examples of political associations include townships, counties, provinces, condominiums, territories, confederations, international organisations (such as the UN) and supranational organisations (such as the EU). To define the state is to account for the kind of political association it is, and to describe its relation to other forms of human association, and to other kinds of human collectivity more generally. This is no easy matter for a number of reasons. First, the state is a form of association with a history, so the entity that is to be described is one that has evolved or developed and, thus, cannot readily be captured in a snapshot. Second, the concept of the state itself has a history, so any invocation of the term will have to deal with the fact that it has been used in subtly different ways. Third, not all the entities that claim to be, or are recognised as, states are the same kinds of entity, since they vary in size, longevity, power, political organisation and legitimacy. Fourth, because the state is a political entity, any account of it must deploy normative concepts - such as legitimacy - that are themselves as contentious as the notion of the state. Although the state is not uniquely difficult to define, these problems need to be acknowledged.